Bushcraft knife knives

[Cackalak Han]

I was watching Suvivorman and saw him set up a paiute deadfall trap. I looked it up on youtube to see exactly how it was made. Upon searching, I came across a video on bushcraft/survival/general use knife that I found interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s16uOV1IsV4

I looked at this guy's site and got this urge to get one of these knifes. All of the knives I own are folders and I've been wanting a fixed blade knife for a while. While I don't know if I want to spend $175 on a knife, perhaps if it will last a long time and serve as a good general purpose camping/hiking/survival/etc. knife, I guess it would be worth it.

LINK to Knife

Does anyone have any experiences with this knife? Or any similar? I've been reading about that 01 steel and some say that it is a little too soft and they prefer D2. Not too versed in the different materials myself, though.

Any recommendations or input would be appreciated.

EDIT: I think I am going to order this knife. (kit). It is an Enzo Trapper. I like the idea of being able to put a personal touch by building it up.

http://www.bensbackwoods.com/servlet/Detail?no=425

Not sure if I want to get the D2 or O1

 

[Beowulf]

There are many good bushcraft style knives on the market. Steels and Handles will vary and finding the one the fits your needs best will be the challenge.

For high end production knives it will be hard to beat the Fallkniven F1 and H1 kinves. The laminated VG10 is a highly regarded process creating a very nice edge while maintaining extreme durability. You can also purchase their blanks so you can customize the end product.
http://www.fallkniven.com/index.php...e=shop.browse&category_id=23&Itemid=1&lang=en

When it comes to high end custom there has been plenty of buzz about this knife.http://www.skookumbushtool.com/
It also had a write up in overland journal not too long ago. If you do a search you will see it discussed on the knife forums and mostly compared to Fallkniven.

However, if you want something on the lower end that still seems to be commonly used in the Bush Craft courses, the Mora are hard to beat. They are so inexpensive that you can have several stored in all your kit.

http://www.swedishknives.com/


There are many on this forum that have far more reaching knowledge of Bush Craft and Metallurgy.

To really delve into these style of knives I would wait to see them chime in and check out BladeForums.com and Knifeforums.com.

Good luck in your choice. If you do customize your own blank, please share the end result.

 

[Desolation]

D2 tool steel and O1 are my choice for making all types of Blades and have served me well for 30 years. For a "goto" blade I choose these materials rather then stainless.
If the blade will be subject to impact such as chopping or if it might hit a nail or otherwise be abused I would choose the D2. For pure cutting and such I go with the O1.
You will note that the O1 blade is slightly softer (2 points Rc) which indicates that it will be a little easier to maintain an edge and that edge will dull ever so slightly quicker if abused.
On the flip side the D2 edge while slightly harder to sharpen will hold that edge and resist chipping, so for say boning out large game where hacking a joint might occur the edge will stand up longer. D2 also has a high Chrome content thus it will resist rust a little.
Personally I prefer to triple draw back to 58-Rc in O1 and sub 60-Rc in the D2, I am not saying that I am right in this it is just what I do. I have also taken to having the blade Cryo'd (after the first polish) before the first real edge.
A real good blade can be clamped in a vice and bent 45° without braking or taking any permanent set. Further a good blade can be slapped hard against a solid hard wood bench on the flat and ring, not shatter! High Rockwell-c numbers have their place but I choose to draw the line at about 60.

In My Opinion:
Finally, I know that I am just being picky but, I do not like the form over safety that is and has been in vogue for a long time now, specifically the shape and often material choices of handles. The smooth all wood handle is certainly visually attractive and offers clean lines, all good in the Kitchen. However on a working blade I find it unacceptable. There must be a METAL guard and pommel and they must be prominent enough to positively keep your hand located even if it is frozen and coated in oil!
Literally can you take your knife with you hand cold, coated in oil, holding your blade in a down fist grip (point away from your thumb in your fist) and drive it hard point first into a table and not have any fear that your hand is going to slip down the blade to the table when the blade stops moving? I have been known to delete the Pommel for looks, however "I" will not make a working blade that does not have the guard. Having your hand slip off the handle and down the blade is simply a recipe for disaster if you did it in an ER, doing it in the bush because that guard is not 'cool' is strictly stupid

 

[RHINO]

agreed on both replies above. for a no frills but very real and usable knife MORA is great, they have everything you need in a bush knife

i keep this one in my pack,,, under $20 shipped to my door.

http://www.ragweedforge.com/711g.jpg

 

[Cackalak Han]

Thanks for all of the input! Those knives in the links are so nice. But I'm trying to stay around $100 for this knife.

Desol - For the guard, is it something that is built into the "frame" of the knife or the handle? Can I buy that blank from the link above and build the handle with the guard on it?

Rhino - Thanks for that link. I might have to pick up a couple of those and throw them in my truck/cars.

After reading up today, I think I will stick with O1 blank from Enzo.

 

[lowenbrau]

art or tool?

I find myself drawn into the knife sections of various forums occasionally, and fantasize about waiting a year or two to have some crafty artisan take a thousand or so dollars from me and make me a really, really cool knife that should last for generations but then I think about the knives that really serve me well and they are $50 Kershaws that have no soul at all and are simply sweatshop made tools that cut things, well, every time I need them. I lose one every now and again and I cuss at how wasteful I am as I head to Walmart and pick up another, obscenely sharp, durable, version for the next season.

<edit>

Oops, I just realized we were talking about fixed blade knives. For that I chose Grohmann. I buy factory seconds on their website.

 

[paulj]

From Swedishknives
this one is often nicknamed the 'swedish army knife'. Note the prominent finger guard.

I keep a blue handle equivalent in a pack pocket for emergencies

while the Mora 2000 is my favorite for blackberry whacking. The finger guard isn't as prominent, but the handle is a rubbery nonslip material. The sheath is functional without being ugly.

 

[Desolation]

Desol - For the guard, is it something that is built into the "frame" of the knife or the handle? Can I buy that blank from the link above and build the handle with the guard on it?

You can build both ways and then some...
You could use a piece of metal that has a fitted slot that would slide down the handle section and run into a shoulder and is then retained by the rest of the handle.
Or it could be riveted into location, silver soldered, Welded Under the handle so it can not be seen.
Or it could be that the guard is in two pieces and fit on from opposite sides and then attached by any of the above.

IF you don't mind a little more work you can just start from scratch a piece of 1 1/2" wide 1/8" thick by 18" O1 Flat ground is only $18.00US + the ride.
A grinder, a few files, and a drill and you can make anything you can think of.
You will have to have the steel heat treated but any city will have a Heat Treat Company just check with your local machine shop.

 

[paulj]

Desol - For the guard, is it something that is built into the "frame" of the knife or the handle? Can I buy that blank from the link above and build the handle with the guard on it?
.

check the 'fittings' section of Ragweedforge blades and kits page:
http://www.ragweedforge.com/BladeCatalog.html#fittings

I have made one knife, starting with a 7" Leuku (Lap campknife) blade from Ragweed. The handle was part of a replacement hammer handle. I ended up sawing it in half, and epoxying the halves around the tang of the blade. Not exactly beautiful, but functional. The sheath is a basic leather one that came with a Cold Steel Bushman knife.

The Bushman is another choice for an inexpensive, but effective camp knife
http://www.coldsteel.com/bushmanseries.html

 

[RHINO]

ahh the bushman, i have had one since just about the time they came out and love it.

i would add that while they are great camp knives, they are too big for a light pack. the bushman and mora are similar enough that they both handle about the same tasks equally, except for one thing. the bushman has power when you need it, the mora is the lighter finesse knife.

i think they are different enough that i have them both, but they are similar enough that they dont need to be carried together, the bushman stays at camp and in the rig while the mora lives in the pack and goes about everywhere.

 

[KevinNY]

Ragweed Forge also carries the excellent Helle Eggen, a really good deal for bushcraft type knife.

 

[Desolation]

Having several blades available in a drawer.
Having made several hundred blades of various types and sizes over the years.
I carry a modified (Micarta Scales, flick or one hand open, and tuned the lock geometry) Kershaw folder because I have no fear of abusing it and I sharpen it frequently because like all stainless blades it dulls up while closed in it's sheath. Thus it sees a stone at least weekly. At least 8 years old.
I also carry a Leatherman "Super" that is now nearly 10 years old and I have never used the blades in it.
For use beyond these two I reach for a hatchet. I keep them real sharp and other wise sanded smooth and painted.
It is a personal choice but over the years I have found the simple hatchet that has been well prepped is far more versatile for every conceivable job that is not :chef:.
My bush knife is actually not a knife.
The weight... Is a non-issue when balanced against the versatility of the tool.

 

[Cackalak Han]

Thanks all for the replies. Sounds like I have much more research to do. I will post up which direction I am going to go.

Desolation - Speaking of hatchets, any recommendations on this? I was actually going to pick up something simple like a Gerber Sport Axe

 

[climber-420]

Please consider the new Becker Knife and Tool knives being made by Camillus now. They are indestructable, and very well constructed. I own an original BK&T #7. It is amazing. Comes with kydex sheath, kinda hard to find nowadays with brand new knives, unless you want to spend some major $. Check out this website, www.cutleryscience.com. Has every knife review ever! Blade testing,metal properties,etc etc, the list goes on. Hope that helps a little.

 

[Desolation]

Thanks all for the replies. Sounds like I have much more research to do. I will post up which direction I am going to go.

Desolation - Speaking of hatchets, any recommendations on this? I was actually going to pick up something simple like a Gerber Sport Axe

Gerber was a great blade 30 years ago when they were just down the road.
I like the concept but I know of 3 people that have broken them, though I did not witness other then the pieces. The thing I do not like is that they are junk where the old fashioned wood handle just gets replaced!
I have a few hatchets and you are not going to believe this but there is this one I picked up from Harbor Freight that will hold a keen edge under all kinds of stupidity. I have used it to chip concrete, even driven it like a chisel with a 3-pound hammer doing rock wall work... I paid I think $10, figuring when I was done I would weld it onto a gate or something. Now it lives in one of our 4x4's.

I prefer wood handles, they let you play until you find the shape that fits your hand and usage. The head I like an edge that is in the shape of the classic "Scout Ax". The Cold Steel Trail Boss ($28 at Amazon) is the upper size limit for me.
I can't tell you who made my favorite is is perhaps 50 years old now and I have replaced the handle 2 times, I look for them at gun shows, flea markets, and garage sales. Old and well used is generally a good indicator.